Photos by BARRY WILLIAMS/Special (ENLARGE)

Mary Anne Newkirk (left) talks with mother-to-be Gina Philips in the antepartum unit at WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta.

(ENLARGE)

"When you spend 12 hours a day taking care of someone, day after day, you're going to develop a relationship, unless you have no personality at all," said Mary Anne Newkirk, a nurse in the antepartum unit at WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta.

Newkirk, 62, works with pregnant women who have been confined to bed rest because of medical conditions or those with high-risk pregnancies, and she helps prevent them from giving birth prematurely.

Trying to help prevent women from having their babies is a different focus for Newkirk, who worked in labor and delivery for more than 20 years. Since many of her patients have acute conditions, she has learned how to handle her patients differently.

"I couldn't do this job without my labor and delivery experience, though," said Newkirk, RN, BSN. "You have to know what's normal in order to know what's abnormal, and what to do about it."

Unlike the high turnover of labor-and-delivery patients, Newkirk cares for patients for a few days or up to several months. That pace suits her upbeat, even-tempered personality.

"If something is wrong, you try to fix it," she said.

Jennifer Ganyard, who nominated Newkirk for the award, was expecting her first baby and was suffering from pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure and other serious symptoms), when she met the nurse.

She remembered Newkirk greeting her with "the friendliest smile."

"Whenever she walked into the room, she was bigger than life and full of happiness," Ganyard said.

As the nurse and patient got to know each other, Ganyard shared her concerns about childbirth. She was worried because her condition had caused her to miss childbirth classes.

Newkirk promised to coach Ganyard through the delivery.

On Nov. 18, Ganyard learned that her baby had died in utero after complications with the umbilical cord, and that doctors would be forced to induce labor. Although Newkirk wasn't scheduled to work that day, she kept her promise.

"She stood by my side — next to my husband — and helped me deliver our baby boy. She wiped my face with a cool cloth and made me realize that I had strength I didn't know I had," Ganyard said.

Newkirk kept in touch with the grieving woman and helped her cope. Having lost her husband and then her daughter when the girl was 19, Newkirk knows about grief.

"She appreciated that I told her. Shared experiences are comforting," Newkirk said.

Newkirk believes that the little things — like providing popsicles for young visitors or taking time to listen to patients — make a difference.

"If you leave each day knowing you've taken care of people well — if you've made them feel a little better and they are looking forward to seeing you the next day — then you know you've done a good job," Newkirk said.